The thermal printer is an alternative to inkjet and laser printers and has a significant place in application niches for which it is especially well suited. When engineers and average consumers think of printers to use with their PC at home or office, they usually think of one of two types: the inkjet printer or […]
FAQ
From designing to operating an RF PCB: The complete guide
by Ken Ghadia, Sales Engineer, TechnoTronix Radio Frequency (RF) PCBs are very high-speed circuits operating at frequencies in the range of 100MHz and above, typically from 500MHz to 2 GHz. RF PCBs are the backbone of wireless networks, high-tech gadgets like smartphones, smart TVs, etc. Also, RF PCBs are used in automotive, medical equipment, military, […]
BLER: A critical parameter in cellular receiver performance
5G user equipment receiver performance is critical for high-quality connectivity and maximum data throughput. Block-error rate provides an effective metric in demodulation and determining receiver sensitivity.
What is sensor fusion?
by Charles Pao, senior marketing specialist, CEVA Motion sensing devices are all around us and in several of the electronics that we use daily. Motion sensors are in earbuds – noticing taps to change songs or pausing music when we take them out of our ears. They’re used for head tracking in virtual reality (VR) […]
The difference between CCD and microbolometer thermal imaging
Most engineers are familiar with charge-coupled devices (CCDs) employed as image sensors. Pixels in a CCD sensor consist of P-doped metal-oxide semiconductor capacitors arranged in columns and rows to form an array. Light striking each pixel is converted to an electrical charge that varies according to the light intensity at that pixel. The CCD transfers […]
Creating unique devices with haptic touch technology
Technology products are becoming increasingly difficult for designers and manufacturers to differentiate. Laptops, in particular, are all of a similar size and shape and offer the same functionality. Clamshell laptops typically combine the same three features – a display, a keyboard, and a touchpad – with few aspects that distinguish models […]
Basics of cooling transistors, IGBTs, and power FETs with heat sinks and PCBs
When designing any electronics that consume a significant amount of power, you need to consider where that power will go. With power electronics –such as IGBTs, power FETs, or power transistors – you might be expecting most of it to end up in your load, but there will be some which don’t. Even devices that […]
Top ten tips for nailing your PCB silkscreen design
By Suresh Patel, Sales Engineer,Mer-Mar Electronics Silkscreen represents the outer layers of a PCB that include text-based readable information such as component reference designator, test points, company logos, PCB part number and version number, etc. This is necessary for circuit board assembly, rework and debug support. The silkscreen ink is different from the regular printing […]
How can you detect hidden cameras invading your privacy?
Using the time-of-flight (ToF) sensor on commodity smartphones, researchers at the National University of Singapore and Yonsei University have developed a technique to detect tiny hidden spy cameras concealed in privacy-invading locations, such as hotels and bathrooms. With small form factors and lens diameters as small as 1 to 2 millimeters, hidden cameras are difficult […]
How to measure display screen output
The flat display screens of today typically look great. But when it comes to quantifying their output, confusion may reign. There are three main measurement tools used to gage the output of displays. Before we get into their details, it might be helpful to review the main display technologies we are typically trying to measure. […]